Well water has a lot of benefits for the average homeowner. For one thing, well water does not contain the chemicals that you often find in municipal water sources. It also tends to be rich in healthy, natural minerals that are often eliminated from your local water supply. Yet it is important to remember that maintaining a functioning water well and pump also comes with its own challenges. Read on to learn the top five well and pump problems you need to watch out for, and remember to call Carter Quality Plumbing for all the professional well services you need.
5 Common Well Problems to Watch Out For:
- Lack of Water: If you turn on the tap and find that you are unable to get water, do not freak out. Your well probably has not gone dry—in fact it’s very rare for residential water wells to ever dry up. In most cases, a dry well can be traced back to a tripped circuit breaker connected to your well pump. In these cases, you will just need to find the affected circuit breaker and flip it back on. It is also possible that your local water table, aka the underground line between where the soil is and where your groundwater saturates, has fallen below where your pump can reach. When this happens, you may want to scale your water consumption back a few days to allow the table to rise again (not to mention that fact that it’s a good idea to decrease water consumption in general.) You may also need to lower the level of your well pump if this keeps happening.
- Muddy, Discolored Water: If your water is looking cloudy or muddy, it may be because your water table is sinking. When your pump tries to extract water from a shallow area, it is possible for sand and slit to enter your well, leading to the discoloration in your water. This may also be a sign that your well pump is failing to filter out debris—a costly problem that you will want to address ASAP.
- Nasty-Smelling/Tasting Water: If you find that your well water tastes or smells funny, it may be because you are dealing with corroded pipes. However, foul-tasting and smelling water coming from your well is more often the result of changes in the soil, and natural bacteria inside of it. If your water is tasting or smelling nasty, consider calling our experts at Carter Quality Plumbing for a free water analysis. We’ll be able to give you a better idea of the quality of your well water, and whether you could benefit from installing a water filtration system.
- Sputtering Faucets: If your faucets have been sputtering recently, the problem likely lies with your water well. There is likely air in your plumbing due to a broken well pump or crack in your water pipe. It is important to call a plumber if this is happening, as only a professional will be able to look at your well and get to the source of the problem,.
- Rising Water Bills: If your utility bills have been rising recently, and there has not been any change in your water use habits, you may be able to trace the issue back to your well and pump. Water bills often go up because of a malfunction in the pump’s pressure switch, causing it to run non-stop. It is also possible that the level of the well is simply too low, in which case you may be dealing with one of the issues mentioned above. To save money and avoid unnecessary waste, call a plumber who will be able to accurately diagnose what is going on with your water well and pump.
Don’t wait to get the great-tasting water you deserve! Call Carter Quality Plumbing at (803) 998-2270, or click here to send us a message online.